Vedike protests against non-supply of textbooks

Members of the Janapara Vedike staged a dharna in front of the office of the Deputy Director of Public Instruction (DDPI) here on Monday over the alleged delay in supplying textbooks to schools in the district.

General secretary of the vedike Sriram Divana said that it was a month since the schools reopened, but students were yet to receive textbooks. This was a violation of the rights of children. The vedike would approach the Karnataka State Commission for Protection of Child Rights and bring the matter to its notice, he said.

Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa had all the time to organise the Global Investors Meet in Bangalore, but he had no time to arrange for textbooks, Mr. Divana said.

Members of the vedike submitted a memorandum to the in-charge DDPI Nagesh Shanbhag. It was addressed to Primary and Secondary Education Minister Vishweshwara Hegde Kageri.

Mr. Shanbhag told presspersons that textbooks had been distributed to 90 per cent of schools in the State. This included textbooks given to classes one to 10 in government schools and classes one to eight aided schools. About 36 per cent of schools, including classes nine and 10 in aided and classes one to 10 in private schools, were yet to receive textbooks, he said.

Fuel price hike

Later, in a memorandum addressed to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and submitted at the Deputy Commissioner's office here, the vedike stated that the hike in fuel prices would hit the common man hard. Hence, the prices should be rolled back, the memorandum said.